I’d always wondered how Jeremy became Alpha. It’s obvious that although he is capable of fighting, he often choices not to pursue the past time. It was also difficult to understand how such a reportedly horrifying and devious character, such as Malcolm, ever had a chance of claiming power over a group that I very quickly fell in love with throughout Bitten. Ascension tells that story, alongside more tales of Clay’s teenage years and, even, the creation of his terrifying reputation amongst the Mutts.

Power struggles and negotiations occur in every aspect of our lives, in animal groups and packs (such as wolf packs), the knowledge of this is much stronger. Therefore, it is easy to conceive that a group of people who are half man, half wolf would be almost obsessed with hierarchy, power and dominance. For characters like Clay, who is more wolf than human, this is an easy aspect of his nature to claim and embrace. However, in Jeremy’s case, it is a constant battle to balance the two halves of his nature. Whilst he doesn’t feel the need to constantly prove his dominance like others, he also has the drive to protect those he considers family. Yet, this protection comes at a cost. In naturally occurring wolf societies, the strong protect the weak, and the weak obey the strong, this is obvious within Jeremy’s every action. Protecting and caring for the weak and the family is the most important aspect of his life, and it is this power play that leads to the rollercoaster ride of emotions in Ascension.